1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to machines for shaping workpieces, and more particularly to machines for contouring the periphery of a workpiece.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Various machines for contouring the periphery of a workpiece are known. The following U.S. patents show examples of some of these machines.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,567,865 teaches a woodworking machine for cutting the marginal edge of a wood workpiece. A workpiece is clamped to a pattern, the outer edge of which has the configuration desired for the workpiece. The outer periphery of the pattern has a rack or perforated band which meshes with the teeth of a gear. As the gear turns, the pattern moves in the direction dictated by the peripheral shape of the pattern. A cutter is located adjacent to the marginal edge of the workpiece. The pattern is mounted to a slide device located beneath the work table for moving the pattern toward and away from the cutter as the workpiece is rotated past the cutter. The workpiece is held down against the top surface of the pattern by means of a cantilevered arm. At the free end of the arm there is a sleeve provided with a spring loaded roller projecting from the bottom end. The roller bears against the top side of the workpiece forcing it downwardly against the top surface of the pattern.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,955,951 teaches a woodworking machine for shaping the periphery of a wood workpiece. A cutter is mounted on the machine bed. The shape of the cutter conforms to the peripheral contour to be cut into the periphery of the workpiece. A rotatable workpiece holder is journaled to a base. The base is mounted at one of its ends by a bolt to the machine bed. The base is manually caused to pivot about the bolt by a handle to move the workpiece mounted onto the rotatable workpiece holder toward and away from the cutter. The workpiece is held down against the top side of the holder by a deadcenter device.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,447,420 teaches an automatic shaper for contouring the periphery of a workpiece. The workpiece is mounted on a template which is in turn mounted on a pallet. The template includes a cam edge or flange which co-acts with an abuttment to determine the movement of the workpiece carried on the template toward and away from a stationary cutter.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,459,104 teaches a router machine for making piercing cut inside cut-outs, inlet routing, top edge routing, or contour edge routing in a workpiece. The route machine includes an attachment having a horizontal work table and a cutter or bit suspended over the work table. The attachment includes a flat body upon which the workpiece is placed. A stationary guide pin projects upwardly from the work table and is received in a guideway formed in the bottom side of the flat body. A cogged track is formed around the periphery of the flat body, and a driven cogwheel at the top surface of the work table engages the cogged track to move the work table in the path determined by the peripheral shape of the guideway in the flat body. The driven cogwheel is mounted for movement toward and away from the flat body so that the cogwheel can be disengaged from the cogged track.